The Center TRT hosted Michelle Wood for a webinar about Healthy Food Procurement, featuring an initiative developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) to create healthier food environments through the adoption and implementation of nutrition standards and healthy food purchasing practices in all county departments that purchase, distribute or sell food. In 2011, the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors adopted Healthy Food Promotion in Los Angeles County Food Service Contracts, a motion which established a process for the Department of Public Health to develop nutrition standards and/or healthy food procurement practices in new and renewing Requests for Proposals (RFP) for food service and vending contracts across county departments. DPH, as the coordinating agency for the motion, reviews and assesses current practices; provides training and technical assistance for departmental staff that handle food service and vending contracts; and, for quality improvement purposes, evaluates contract implementation of nutrition standards and adherence by contracted food vendors.

The initiative covers county departments that offer or sell food in a variety of venues, including: worksite cafeterias, hospitals, vending machines, concession stands, meal programs for seniors and children, and institutions such as jails and juvenile halls/camps.

Los Angeles County’s healthy food procurement model can be replicated by state, county or city health departments.

Hear more about implementation and lessons learned during the webinar!
To gain access to the archived webinar, please click here.
If you have questions about this webinar or experience difficulty registering, please contact Cecilia Gonzales at cecilia_gonzales@unc.edu.

Grantees– Please consult with your liaison regarding questions about the appropriateness of attending any training or conference using TPEP or Healthy Communities funds. This list of training opportunities is provided as a resource for grantees and partners but is not an endorsement of any training or conference hosted by an external organization

Crook County tackles high teen smoking ratesKTVZ.comThere’s a vicious cycle in Crook County. A high number of adults are smoking and teens are mimicking their behavior.Nine percent of eighth graders and 19 percent of 11th graders say they use tobacco in Crook County. Those numbers are much higher than Oregon’s state average.“Kids are smart — they can find ways to get things if they want them,” Alyssa Bruhn with the Crook County Health Department said Friday.In Crook County, tobacco is within reach for teens.“We have 50 percent of our tobacco retailers within 1,000 feet of schools in Crook County,” said Kris Williams of the health department.For example, the high school is less than 1,000 feet from R and R, a grocery store that sells alcohol and tobacco. It is one short walk from the open campus.“Students have complained about walking through clouds of smoke to get to the grocery store,” Bruhn said.NewsChannel 21 is told kids gather there to smoke and get lunch.“When the kids are walking to and from school, they’re exposed to it a minimum of twice a day,” Williams said.Laws regulate how many tobacco ads stores can put in their windows, but that is not enough. Tobacco companies are targeting teens in other ways, like social media.“The tobacco industry spends $1 million an hour on advertising and promotion,” Williams said.That means tobacco companies are spending more in a day than the state spends in a whole year for prevention ads. Much of their ads are specifically directed towards rural areas like Crook County as well.

Reports and Articles

Time to put a light on the 10-foot smoking ruleHood River News: March 25, 2014
Among my circle of basketball-loving family and friends I am known for my relentless rant in which I call for a major change in the game’s 10-foot rule: As players 18 years and older are so much taller and more talented than their 1891 equivalents, I think the basket should be raised to 11 feet: no more 10-foot rule.
But this column is about another 10-foot rule that needs looking at: the legal smoking perimeter outside of doorways.
Ten feet is not enough; at least not at every doorway.
And in many cases I don’t believe smokers, and establishment owners, are doing enough about it.
I believe these businesses know who they are; the doorway is one thing, but how people actually get to the doorway is another — and it is the actual pathway to the building entrance that needs to determine how far away smoking should take place.
Oregon’s Smokefree Workplace Law, passed in 2007, states that employers must “prohibit smoking in the workplace and within 10 feet of all entrances, exits, accessibility ramps that led to and from an entrance, windows and air-intake vents.” (Italics are mine.)
It does no good to require someone to stand 10 feet from a doorway but on the ramp or stairs that leads to that doorway, making people walk through a gauntlet of smoke.
I include my own workplace as an example of places with accessibility ramps that at times become inappropriate nicotine smoke pathways

Selling a Poison by the Barrel: Liquid Nicotine for E-CigarettesThe New York Times: March 23, 2014
A dangerous new form of a powerful stimulant is hitting markets nationwide, for sale by the vial, the gallon and even the barrel.
The drug is nicotine, in its potent, liquid form — extracted from tobacco and tinctured with a cocktail of flavorings, colorings and assorted chemicals to feed the fast-growing electronic cigarette industry.
These “e-liquids,” the key ingredients in e-cigarettes, are powerful neurotoxins. Tiny amounts, whether ingested or absorbed through the skin, can cause vomiting and seizures and even be lethal. A teaspoon of even highly diluted e-liquid can kill a small child.

Lawsuit Challenges New York City’s Ban on E-Cigarettes
A “smoker’s rights” group called New York City Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment has filed a legal challenge to the city’s ban on electronic cigarettes—or e-cigarettes—in restaurants, parks and certain other public places. The group contends that since e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco or produce smoke, they should not be subject to New York City’s Smoke-Free Air Act. The city council expanding regulations to include e-cigarettes last year and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced its intention to propose government regulations over their use. In the lawsuit, the group wrote that “E-Cig regulation is, even in the Council’s words, at best, tangentially related to the subject of smoking, in much the same way that toy water guns are at best tangentially related to authentic firearms.” However, city council spokeswoman Robin Levine said by email to Reuters that “Our legislation ensures the goals of the Smoke-Free Air Act are not undermined and protects the public against these unregulated substances.” Read more on tobacco.

The e-cigarette issue is fast-changing
A number of interesting / informative articles have hit the news recently that may be of interest/use to you in your jurisdictions, and also may help inform future committee discussions:

Navy Considers Ban on Tobacco Sales at Exchange StoresNBC NewsThe Navy is considering a ban on the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products at Navy and Marine Corps exchange stores.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus met with his staff last week and asked them to examine the impact of ending the sale of tobacco on base, two defense officials told NBC News.
The possible move is part of an initiative to improve the culture of fitness in the services.
Among the issues that will need to be resolved is whether to ban sales only on installations in the United States or to extend the ban overseas.
Other considerations are whether to ban tobacco products in combat zone bases, such as Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan and on ship stores.

OK To Vape In The Office? Cities, Feds and Firms Still Deciding
E-cigarettes aren’t yet federally regulated as tobacco products, but many cities and some states are already moving to include the devices in their smoking bans. Such bans are raising a debate about whether e-cigarettes should be permitted to be used in smoke-free workplaces.

Gary Nolan was a two-pack-a-day cigarette smoker until he switched to e-cigs. Now Nolan, who hosts a libertarian talk show based in Columbia, Mo., freely puffs — or vapes, as it’s come to be called — at work.

“I’m in a closed studio,” Nolan says. “There are no open windows. I can vape in here, while I’m on the air in fact, and people can walk in and out and not even know it, if they don’t see it in my hands.”

The devices come in various cigarette or pipelike shapes, and heat a chemical mixture of mostly nicotine and water. They’re often billed as a smokeless alternative to tobacco that’s gentler to both the smoker and to those around them.

Georgia Department of Health Goes Tobacco-Free
The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) expanded its tobacco use policy to protect employees from secondhand smoke and encourage those who use tobacco to quit. Effective March 30, the use of tobacco products will be prohibited in any DPH facility, including all buildings, parking lots, outdoor areas and DPH-owned vehicles. The ban is effective at all state DPH facilities and some district offices, including those in the Northwest, North Central, Southwest and Southeast Health Districts. The list of banned products includes: cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes.

National Public Health Week resources and daily themesNational Public Health Week 2014 is right around the corner! Join us as we celebrate the evolving public health system and the importance of public health from April 7-13 with the theme “Public Health: Start Here.” The NPHW website has many resources available to help you get involved in NPHW. Also, be sure to join APHA in our fourth annual NPHW Twitter Chat! The Twitter Chat will be held on Wednesday, April 9, from 2-3 p.m. EST. RSVP by joining our Twitvite and use the hashtag #NPHWchat to join the conversation.

Reports and AtriclesChildren’s Diets “Far Too Salty”BBC: March 10, 2014Children in the United Kingdom are eating far too much salt, with much of it coming from breads and cereals, suggests new research published in the journal Hypertension. Children should eat less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, but 70% of children in the study consumed more. Breads and cereals accounted for more than one-third of the sodium in children’s diets. One-fifth came from meat and one-tenth from dairy products. On average, 5- and 6-year-old children consumed about 1,450 milligrams of sodium each day, 8- and 9-year-olds consumed about 1,830 milligrams daily, and 13- to 17-year-olds consumed more than 2,900 milligrams each day. Boys tended to have higher sodium intake than girls. Much of the salt consumed was from processed foods rather than added at the table. The U.K. Department of Health said its voluntary salt reduction policy with manufacturers was working but agreed that more progress is needed. – BBC News

Colon Cancer Screening Follow-UpThe aim of this initiative was to increase return rates of colon cancer screening kits. Previous efforts involved postcard reminders, but the updated effort involved a personal contact approach by calling each client up to three times.

Heinz Tomato Ketchup Reduced Salt and Sugar Launches in Burger KingFoodBev.com: March 5, 2014Heinz Tomato Ketchup Reduced Salt and Sugar is now available in Burger King restaurants across the United Kingdom and Ireland as part of the launch of the chain’s new lower fat French fries. The Reduced Salt and Sugar Ketchup contains 25% less salt and 30% less sugar. – FoodBev.com

Health Providers Should Prescribe Sleep for People with Metabolic DisordersThe LancetA new study in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology finds that insufficient or disturbed sleep is associated with metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and obesity, and addressing poor quality sleep should be a target for the prevention—and even treatment—of the disorders. According to the study authors, addressing some types of sleep disturbance—such as sleep apnea—may have a directly beneficial effect on patients’ metabolic health, but a far more common problem is people simply not getting enough sleep, particularly due to the increased use of devices such as tablets and online games. The authors say that early studies are starting to provide evidence that there is a direct causal link between loss of sleep and the body’s ability to metabolize glucose, control food intake, and maintain its energy balance. Read more on obesity.

Mayor Walsh & Boston Medical Center to Prescribe Affordable Hubway Memberships
Aside from trying to burgeon Boston’s tech scene, Mayor Marty Walsh is also aiming to make the city healthier and more physically active. On Wednesday, the mayor announced that his office is teaming up with Boston Medical Center and Hubway to subsidize bike share memberships for low-income residents through a program aptly dubbed Prescribe-a-Bike.

The overriding goals of Prescribe-a-Bike are to tackle health disparities throughout the city most often caused by economic inequalities, as well as to increase access to affordable transportation to those who typically can’t expense it otherwise.

“There is no other program like this in the country,” said Mayor Walsh in a statement. “Prescribe-a-Bike makes the link between health and transportation, and ensures that more residents can access the Hubway bike share system.”

Using Hubway’s bike share program, which stretches from Somerville through Boston, the mayor’s office hopes to enlist 1,000 residents in the program which would cost those who qualify just $5 annually. According to Hubway’s website, annual memberships run $85, not including usage fees which are extra charges tacked on for every 30-minute interval after the user has exhausted an initial 30-minutes of biking.

Overweight Teens Should Start Healthy Eating by Cutting Down on SaltAHA: March 20, 2014
Overweight or obese teenagers who eat lots of salty foods shows signs of faster cell aging, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology & Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity & Metabolism Scientific Sessions 2014. Previous research found that protective ends on chromosomes (telomeres) naturally shorten with age, but the process is accelerated by smoking, lack of physical activity and high body fat. This study is the first to examine the impact of sodium intake on telomere length.

In the study, 766 people ages 14-18 were divided into the lowest or highest half of reported sodium intake. Low-intake teens consumed an average 2,388 mg/day, compared with 4,142 mg/day in the high-intake group. Both groups consumed far more than the 1,500 mg/day maximum (about 2/3 teaspoon of salt) recommended by the American Heart Association. After adjusting for several factors that influence telomere length, researchers found that in overweight/obese teens, telomeres were significantly shorter with high-sodium intake. In normal weight teens, telomeres were not significantly different with high-sodium intake.

“Even in these relatively healthy young people, we can already see the effect of high sodium intake, suggesting that high sodium intake and obesity may act synergistically to accelerate cellular aging,” said Haidong Zhu, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and assistant professor of pediatrics at Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University in Augusta, Ga. “Lowering sodium intake may be an easier first step than losing weight for overweight young people who want to lower their risk of heart disease. The majority of sodium in the diet comes from processed foods, so parents can help by cooking fresh meals more often and by offering fresh fruit rather than potato chips for a snack.” Read more on heart health.

Sodexo pledges better meals to support First Lady’s fight against obesityFosters Daily Democrat: March 24, 2014
One of the nation’s largest food service companies is making a series of changes in support of Michelle Obama’s anti-childhood obesity initiative.
Sodexo says it will add more nutritious options to its vending and K-12 lunchroom programs. It will also offer a healthier children’s meal at museums, aquariums and other recreational venues it serves. The company also wants to distribute millions more free breakfasts in the elementary and secondary schools where it serves such meals.
Some of the changes could be in place as soon as next year.
The company reaches 15 million consumers a day in more than 9,000 locations nationwide, Sodexo CEO George Chavel said Wednesday.

County Health Rankings: Where you live affects your health
Posted: 26 Mar 2014 07:34 AM PDT
Whether you reside in Clallam County, Wash., Miami-Dade County, Fla., or somewhere in between, where you live affects your health. That’s the conclusion of the 2014 County Health Rankings report released today.

Exposure to Fast Food Restaurants Increases Obesity RiskPeople exposed to fast food establishments near their homes, workplaces, or during their commute, are much more likely to consume fast food, according to a study published in BMJ. Read more.

Sugar Free Kids Coalition FormedThe Maryland State Medical Society, the American Heart Association, the NAACP, and the Horizon Foundation recently announced the formation of Sugar Free Kids, a state coalition to reverse the epidemics of childhood obesity and teen diabetes. Read more.

“Healthy Stores for a Health Community” Launches in California
The Healthy Stores for a Healthy Community campaign is a statewide collaboration between tobacco use prevention, nutrition, and alcohol prevention partners which aims to improve the health of Californians. Read more.

Effects of Ads Targeting Kids Linger into AdulthoodWhen companies advertise to kids using mascots or characters, love of the brand and feelings that the product is wholesome and healthful can persist well into adulthood, according to a study coming out in the June issue of the Journal of Consumer Research. Read more.

According to BMSG, the industry recruited a broad range of community spokespeople to voice an anti-tax position on its behalf but did not reveal itself as the funding source. The researchers assert that this allowed soda companies to distance themselves from the political debate and create the appearance that opposition to the taxes came from within the community, rather than from an industry-funded PR campaign.

The study also found that the soda industry, which spent $4 million to defeat the proposals, exploited existing class- and race-based tensions to portray the tax as financially ruinous and regressive. The industry claimed — sometimes directly and sometimes through community spokespeople — that it would be financed on the backs of the cities’ poorest residents, according to the authors.

The study includes recommendations for journalists on ways to improve coverage of soda taxes, as well as lessons from Richmond and El Monte that advocates can use to push for soda taxes in other cities.

BMSG co-hosted a tweet chat with the Rudd Center on March 6 about the study, which is archived on Storify here.

Educational Service District 112 (Vancouver, Washington) is seeking Requests for Proposals from individuals interested in providing executive project director services for the Healthy Living Collaborative of Southwest Washington.
The executive director (independent contractor) will be an integral member of the project team responsible for the overall leadership and management of a dynamic, multi-sector collaborative with representatives from Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties. The initial contract is for Year 1 (8 month work period from May 1 – December 31, 2014), with expected annual renewal over the duration of the grant (anticipated four years) subject to successful and timely delivery of services and products.

Individuals interested in being considered for this contract should submit proposals according to the guidelines that follow. Completed proposals must be received at ESD 112 by March 25, 2014, no later than 4:00 pm (Pacific Daylight Time). Late, incomplete, faxed, or emailed proposals will not be accepted.

Healthy Aging: Cognition & Physical Activity, March 25, 2:00pm (ET)This webinar will explore areas for synergy between existing state-based efforts to increase physical activity among older adults, especially those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. It will highlight integrated physical activity initiatives and policies encompassing public awareness and education, partnerships, data and research, and community-based programs.
This is the third webinar of a Healthy Aging webinar series focusing on strategies and partnerships for improving and sustaining the health of older adults and their communities.If you missed the first two webinars of our Healthy Aging webinar series the recordings will be available on our website. Please visit ASTHO’s Healthy Aging website to view recent resources and recommendations. Pre-registeration is required

Grantees– Please consult with your liaison regarding questions about the appropriateness of attending any training or conference using TPEP or Healthy Communities funds. This list of training opportunities is provided as a resource for grantees and partners but is not an endorsement of any training or conference hosted by an external organization

Reports and ArticlesBlowing VaporWillamette Week: March 19, 2014
The e-cigarette market is growing like wildfire, leaving health officials in a haze.
Located at Southeast 36th Avenue and Division Street, the store is one of 12 Portland retail shops dedicated to the sale of e-liquids, e-cigarettes and all types of “vaping” paraphernalia used with electronic cigarettes. Although proponents say the vapor quickly dissipates, the most noticeable thing about “vape shops” is that they are filled with a haze.
At Division Vapor, five stools, filled with vaping customers, line an L-shaped glass counter containing cylindrical devices that resemble oversized cigarettes or steampunk cigars. Hundreds of miniature bottles, filled with various flavors and essences, line the walls. All contain at least one active ingredient: nicotine.

But Ms. Zacks, a high school senior, does not call it that. In fact, she insists she has never even tried an e-cigarette. Like many teenagers, Ms. Zacks calls such products “hookah pens” or “e-hookahs” or “vape pipes.”

These devices are part of a subgenre of the fast-growing e-cigarette market and are being shrewdly marketed to avoid the stigma associated with cigarettes of any kind. The products, which are exploding in popularity, come in a rainbow of colors and candy-sweet flavors but, beneath the surface, they are often virtually identical to e-cigarettes, right down to their addictive nicotine and unregulated swirl of other chemicals.

Big Tobacco Investment in Oregon Legislators Pays off in 2014 Session
A look at campaign finances shows Altria Client Services, the parent company of tobacco giant Philip Morris, unloaded $85,500 on the Oregon Legislature in the months before the 2013 session, including big donations to Senate President Peter Courtney and Sen. Betsy Johnson, the conservative Democrat from Scappoose. Johnson joined fellow tobacco-supported politicians such as Sen. Jackie Winters to kill a bill that would have cost Philip Morris millions.

The letters were sent to Rite Aid, Walgreen, Kroger, Safeway and Walmart, five companies that are among the biggest pharmacy retailers in the country.

“There is a contradiction in having these dangerous and devastating tobacco products on the shelves of a retail chain that services health care needs,” the letters said. Stopping the sale of tobacco products, they continued, “would effectively bring us full circle, back from the time when a tobacco manufacturer could advertise that “more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette” to a time when cigarettes simply cannot be purchased from a business that sells products prescribed by doctors.